INDUS TRY. SUSTA INAB I L I T Y ROUND TABL E
F or an industry full of progressive storytellers concerned with protecting the planet from climate destruction, we make one hell of a mess. The lofty perceptions of the business don’t reflect the reality of what goes on behind the scenes, with a tremendous amount of air miles, energy use and material waste attached to all programming. The average tentpole film generates 2840 tonnes of CO2e per production, and one-hour TV dramas roughly 4.4 tonnes of CO2 emissions per episode. What can be done to reduce this – and is it even possible, with the amount of content being produced today? We ask the experts. Climate change is one of the most important issues the world is facing today – and behind every film & TV production there is environmental wreckage. What are the direct and indirect causes? FIONA BALL: The majority of direct emissions from the film and TV industry come from power use, especially generators. Emissions also mount up when moving large crews and sets between locations. Productions should be mindful of ways to source renewable energy and limit other energy use – through more efficient transportation, as well as limiting the use of timber sets. GENEVIEVE MARGRETT: When you consider the set-up and crew involved in an HETV show or film, it’s no wonder they have such a big carbon footprint. Over the past ten years, we have helped productions measure their impact through our carbon calculator and the biggest contributions nearly always come from energy and travel. Materials are also likely to have a significant impact on
larger-scale productions – it’s important to be thinking up front about the life cycle of all the props and products. What can be reused, donated or broken down to constituent parts? Scope 3 emissions (indirect emissions from your supply chain) can, on average, be four times those of a company’s direct operations, so it’s crucial we tackle these, too. We encourage productions to ensure sustainable procurement principles are applied throughout the process, adopt a procurement policy that sets out the environmental standards expected of suppliers, and set climate-related targets as key supplier criteria. SALLY MCENALLAY: To an extent this is baked into the nature of the industry – a lot of people who might not know each other well, come together under intense time and financial pressure to deliver a creative project to audiences and investors, for whom sustainability is not yet a priority. This makes it hard to create a culture where sustainability is a shared goal. Individual enthusiasm for this type of practice is hard to communicate in these circumstances. What can productions do to cut down or offset these emissions, and whose responsibility is it to ensure that these actions come into effect? Are there challenges that could be addressed by working together internationally? BALL: Industry collaboration is the way forward. In the UK, we’ve been working with Bafta’s Albert Consortium for ten years. Convening bodies such as Albert are important because they offer a central point from which to share, learn and set a common minimum standard. This is vital for our sector, which is often ephemeral
in its working structures. At Sky, we fed extensively into Arup and Albert’s Screen New Deal report. We’re implementing many of its recommendations at Sky Studios Elstree, our new production site set to be completed later this year. MARGRETT: Firstly, it’s important to reduce as much as possible before offsetting any residual emissions that can’t be eliminated. It can feel overwhelming knowing where to begin – but given we’ve identified that energy and travel are nearly always the biggest part of a production’s footprint, tackling these first can have a big impact. Switch to renewable energy in your production office and speak to your studio to find out what type of tariff they’re on, or cut consumption by switching to LED lights, for example. Eliminate short-haul and first-class flights and reduce other air travel as much as possible. Consider the climate early and at all stages of a production – every department can, and should, be tasked with finding ways to reduce their footprint. Finally – don’t be afraid to ask for things. Our industry accounts for $500bn spent on content production – it gives us a huge amount of purchase power and can help to shift markets and supply chains to offer alternative, sustainable products and services. Just asking the question sends a “Increasing internal resources is essential, but equally important are the messages coming from the top”
FIONA BALL Group director, Bigger Picture, Sky
GENEVIEVE MARGRETT Communications executive, Albert
SALLY MCENALLAY Marketing director, Green Kit
Ball leads Sky’s responsible business, Bigger Picture, which is focused on campaigning for a positive impact on the big issues of our time, including climate change. Two years ago, Sky committed to becoming net zero carbon by 2030.
Albert started life as a tool to calculate the carbon footprint of the BBC’s programming, before being adopted by Bafta in 2011. It is now a fully-fledged organisation, dedicated to encouraging sustainable practices across film and TV in the UK.
Green Kit is a London-based film lighting and accessories hire company. It specialises in energy-efficient lights that are cheaper to run, cool to operate and portable, making them a fantastic choice for all filmmakers.
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